Fast fashion has been under fire from critics for many years. The enthusiasm aroused by Shein, a sort of Alibaba of textiles, is worrying because far from correcting the situation, it is accelerating it
As a good eco-conscious creature that you are, you have certainly integrated well, following the injunctions rehashed a hundred times, that it was necessary, whatever the cost, to switch to the electric car and to review the insulation of your home. Not to mention the extra layer to put on in winter to save heating and reduce your carbon footprint.
Why not a cashmere sweater made in China with a hint of bad conscience. You obviously know that the flagship brands of fast fashion, better known by their English synonym of fast fashion, are primarily responsible for the bad image of the textile industry, one of the biggest polluters in the world along with agriculture and transportation. And whose profitability, prized by investors, is at the expense of the working conditions imposed on the workforce in the field, in China or in other countries where wage costs are derisory.
Worse than Zara and H&M
While the European fashion giants are timidly beginning to review their copy, burned by the regulatory inclinations of the European Union, the Shein phenomenon does not fail to challenge.
Or even outright worry. New darling of young people, the Chinese company calls on influencers to popularize its items at bargain prices on social networks. Unlike its elders, the Swedish H&M and the Spanish Inditex (Zara), which offer a few dozen collections a year compared to four for traditional fashion brands, Shein pours thousands of new items on the market every day. If one of them arouses enthusiasm, the fashion start-up places an order with a network of small manufacturers. The production is particularly damaging from an environmental point of view, the transport is important and, worst of all, the textiles are of such poor quality that any prospect of second-hand sales must be forgotten. A market that Zalando and other clothing distributors have started to invest.
With Shein, with the notable exception of its investors, everyone is therefore a loser in a chain that can no longer reasonably be described as “value”. And the problem is that the success encountered is likely to be emulated. This places society once again in the dilemma of regulation or responsibility. Establishing regulations will take time. In the meantime, it is up to everyone to know what they consume, how and why.
This article is originally published on letemps.ch
